Revision as of 17:05, 31 January 2013

Loudoun County, Virginia genealogy and family history research page. Guide to Loudoun County (established 1757) genealogy, history, and courthouse sources including birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, wills, deeds and land records, Civil War records, Revolutionary War records, family histories, cemeteries, churches, tax records, newspapers, and obituaries.

Parent County

1757--Loudoun County was created 25 March 1757 from Fairfax County.[4]County Seat: Leesburg

Boundary Changes

When Loudoun County was organized, the eastern border was Difficult Run. Officials moved the line further northwest to near Sugarland Run in 1798. The boundary, a straight line, does not follow the stream. This boundary change impacts genealogists, because this land and its occupants, which had originally belonged to Fairfax County, fell under the jurisdiction of Loudoun County for 40 years, from 1757 to 1798, after which time it went back to Fairfax County.[5]

Neighboring Counties

Resources

Getting Started

Finding out if a genealogy has been published about your Loudoun County family is often a good first step. Many resources are easily available online, such as the census. After checking those sources, you might wish to examine vital records (births, marriages, and deaths), and land, and probate.

If you are researching families who lived in Loudoun County, Virginia between the 1750s and 1790s, the Sparacios' books are a great time saver. They comprehensively index several publications covering that period:

African American

Many resources relating to the free and enslaved black popluations of Loudoun County have been collected, indexed, and published to help genealogists trace their ancestors. Loudoun County, Virginia African Americans details these handy resources.

Cemeteries

Loudoun County's cemetery records have been thoroughly indexed and local volunteers are available to photograph tombstones. Loudoun County, Virginia Cemeteries aids researchers in accessing these resources.

All extant Loudoun County, Virginia census records (population, mortality, and slave schedules) have been published and indexed and volunteers are available to do free lookups for most census years, see: Loudoun County, Virginia Census.

Church Records

Many old Loudoun County church records survive. Select Baptist, Catholic, Church of England, Episcopal, German Reformed, Lutheran, Presyterian, and Quaker records have been abstracted and published, see the Loudoun County, Virginia Church page.

Court

Abstracts of several of Loudoun County's courts have been published, including chancery court, county court, criminal cases, Dumfries district court, fee books, and loose papers. These resources are outlined on the Loudoun County, Virginia Court page.

DNA

DNA has been collected from men claiming descent from more than 20 Loudoun County, Virginia historic families. DNA data helps to establish people's origins, kin, and dispersed descendants, see: Loudoun County, Virginia DNA.

Genealogy

More than 350 genealogies have been published about Loudoun County families. To view a list, visit Loudoun County, Virginia Genealogy.

House Histories

House histories have become a popular hobby. Learning about the inheritance of specific estates can aid genealogists in piecing together family trees. Loudoun County, Virginia House Histories points readers to such resources.

Land and Property

Loudoun County has a rich collection of land records. Many deeds, grants, land causes, patents, and superior court deeds have been published and indexed. Some finding aids are available online, while volunteers offer to make free lookups for others records. Loudoun County, Virginia Land assists researchers in locating finding aids and accessing the original records.

Newspapers

Indexed images of the Virginia Gazette (1736-1780) are available online through the Colonial Williamsburg website. In addition, Professor Tom Costa and The Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia have created a database of all runaway advertisements for slaves, indentured servants, transported convicts, and ship deserters listed in this source and other Virginia newspapers (1736-1803), see: The Geography of Slavery in Virginia. These newspapers are valuable resources for all regions of Virginia.

Cutten, George Barton. The Silversmiths of Virginia (together with Watchmakers and Jewelers) from 1694 to 1850. Richmond, Va.: The Dietz Press, Incorporated, 1952. FHL Collection [Includes a section on Leesburg silversmiths.]

Private Papers

Researchers should not limit their searches to records kept by government officials and religious organizations. Diaries, business account books, and family Bibles, kept in private hands, though they can be difficult to track down, yield valuable genealogical data. Loudoun County, Virginia Private Papers points researchers to some of these resources.

Taxation

Virginia tax records provide valuable clues to genealogical relationships. Many survive and have been published and indexed dating back to the county's formation, see: Loudoun County, Virginia Taxation.

Vital Record Substitutes

The Virginia Historical Society's Marriage and Obituary Index, 1736-1820 (newspaper abstracts) is available for free online. Images of the original index cards are browseable, arranged alphabetically by surname.